Basketball Federation tries to reorganise
It’s been simmering just below the news radar for quite some time, but today the apparent collapse of Belize’s national basketball programme took on a very public face. The occasion was a poorly attended press conference at the Belize City Centre Conference Room where a pro-tem committee headed by Fred Garcia Junior attempted to discuss the present state of basketball in the jewel. Garcia discussed several issues, including the national team’s recent poor performance at a regional tournament in El Salvador and plans to overhaul Belize’s basketball programme which has somehow fallen into disarray.
Fred Garcia Jr., B.B.F. Pro-tem President
“That is why this committee was formed to try and get at least some sanity back to what’s going on, and we’re attempting to do so.”
Patrick Jones
“Why did we fall into disarray?”
Fred Garcia
“Well there are several things. I won’t comment on what happened with past associations, I can only say that we have a good idea of where it should go and we will attempt to go there.”
“And the reality is that we will at least attempt to police it the right way. We want to make sure that those who take it over understand that it will be about development. We are not looking for political agendas, we’re not looking for personal agendas, we’re hoping that we’ll have development at the primary school, the high school, and the amateur levels, as well as the semi-pro because we will work closely with them in the near future.”
Patrick Jones
“Is there light at the end of this very dark tunnel?”
Fred Garcia
“I’ll be honest with you, only time will tell. We can only have an idea of where we want to go. I think the public will have to go there with us, the private sector will have to go there with us and government mainly will have to go there with us. If we get those things in order then I think we have a good idea where we want to go and we will get there.”
Garcia says the national team’s poor performance in El Salvador was the result of circumstances beyond the control of the B.B.F., including a late invitation and insufficient funding. The Pro Tem Committee is charged with organising district associations and holding an annual general meeting at which a new president and General Secretary will be chosen to work on restoring Belizean basketball to its gold medal form.
